All Chapters of No More Meddling: A Bitter Lesson: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

In the middle of the night, I was awakened by Bessie’s cries of pain.“My stomach hurts so bad! Dad, get me some medicine. I’ve been running to the bathroom all night. I feel like I am going to pass out!”She pounded frantically on my bedroom door.Even though the guest room was right next door, there was no response from inside.Seeing her face pale as paper, I fetched her some antidiarrheal pills.Half an hour later, I caught myself when I was about to ask if she was hungry. The words reached my lips, but I held them back. “Where’s the soup you always make? Bring it over already. I’m starving!”Bessie peered past me, grumbling about how slow I was.Whenever her stomach acted up in the past, I would prepare a warm bowl of chicken soup and bring it to her bedside. I would then beg her to eat a little so she could sleep better.This time, however, I brought her nothing. I simply transferred thirty dollars to her.“If you are hungry, order takeout.”I turned around and walked

A week before the SATs, I began packing my things.Sam kept flaunting his place in the family in front of me whenever he could.“Ron, you have to admit, you’re a pretty pathetic excuse for a father.”He waved a credit card in my face.“See this? Meera gave me a card with no spending limit. I’m the one she really loves!”I could not help but laugh out loud. “If she really loved you so much, why didn’t she marry you? You’re nothing but a sugar baby.”“You…”Sam’s face flushed with rage. He was breathing heavily.“Don’t be so smug. As soon as Bessie finishes her SATs, Meera’s filing for divorce. You’re dead weight around here, Ron. You couldn’t do a good job taking care of your own daughter, yet you still refuse to step aside. Let me tell you something, Bessie already calls me Dad.”He pulled up their chat history on his phone.On Father’s Day, Bessie had given him an electric razor, along with a heartfelt message. [Happy Father’s Day to the best dad in the world.]My heart

The disappointment in Principal Harris’ eyes cut Bessie deeply. “Bessie, no matter how desperate you were, you should never have resorted to cheating. Your grades have been excellent lately. Even before that, you consistently ranked among the top two hundred students in your grade. How could you make such a terrible decision?”I cut in.“Those recent grades were fake too.”I pulled up the messages I had saved and handed my phone to Principal Harris.“She’s been paying people to help her cheat and buying devices to sneak answers into her exams. It’s right there.”Bessie stared at me in disbelief. Her lips quivered, but no sound came out.Meera was so furious that she raised her hand to slap me.She stumbled past me as I stepped aside.“Ron, have you lost your mind? She is your daughter! Are you so determined to destroy her that you can’t rest until it’s done?”“It’s exactly because she’s my daughter that I have to make sure she understands that doing something like this is wr

After that, I opened an academic support center for high school students.With all the years of experience I had accumulated, the business quickly became a success.As for Meera and Bessie, they were not nearly as fortunate.On a reckless whim, Meera sold the house and drained her parents’ retirement savings to send Bessie abroad.At first, Bessie resolved to work her way through school, study hard, and return home as soon as possible.But over time, she succumbed to the allure of a life filled with nightlife and indulgence.She dropped out without telling Meera and developed a gambling problem. She constantly called home to ask for money.Meera had drained her savings. Her life became increasingly difficult.Less than two years later, she was diagnosed with lung cancer and did not have long to live.Meanwhile, Bessie continued spiraling overseas. She was drinking, partying, gambling, and sleeping around.I heard all of this from one of my students’ parents.I merely smiled.